Bill passed to protect B.C. residents from Patriot Act (CBC)
Bill passed to protect B.C. residents from Patriot Act
WebPosted Oct 19 2004 05:52 PM PDT
VICTORIA - The provincial government passed a bill Tuesday aimed at protecting B.C. residents from the the USA Patriot Act.
But NDP MLA Joy MacPhail said the Liberal government rammed through a bill that fails to stop American officials from accessing private data on B.C. residents that might be held or managed by subsidiaries of U.S.-based firms.
The government also passed the bill without waiting for a report on the implications of the Patriot Act by B.C.'s Information and Privacy Commissioner.
Critics have warned the Patriot Act, enacted in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, would allow the FBI to look at such data.
Attorney General Geoff Plant disagreed with suggestions that the government should have waited for the privacy commissioner's report, which has been delayed twice because of the number of submissions received. The report is now due at the end of this month.
Plant said the government did not want to delay the amendments. "The time to enact legislation is now because we're in session," said Plant.
"We think we have some good ideas for how to protect the privacy rights of British Columbians and they're in the bill. If the commissioner comes up with other ideas I'm sure we'll take a look at them."
The legislation was prompted when critics of the B.C. Liberal governments' plan to contract out handling of health-care records grew alarmed that two U.S.-owned companies were in the running.
They warned that under the USA Patriot Act, American police and security services could get at those records if they were stored in the United States.
- Rick's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Anti- Patriot Act in British Columbia lacks force (PEJ.org)
B.C.'s privacy law is no iron curtain
Peace, Earth and Justice
As the columnist Les Leyne notes, "it looks like the new privacy law is more of a symbolic reassurance than any kind of iron curtain around the personal information in government data bases." -- Space & Technology Editor
LES LEYNE - THE TIMES COLONIST
Victoria Times Colonist (subscription required)
Government is getting some pointed questions from the commissioner
October 20, 2004
British Columbia's information and privacy commissioner has some questions about the Liberal government's "tough new measures" to protect people here from the USA Patriot Act snoops south of the border.
Commissioner David Loukidelis wrote the government with his questions this week. New Democrat house leader Joy MacPhail picked them up and amplified them Tuesday in the legislature. After an hour of sparring between the aggressive MacPhail and the bland Government Services Minister Joyce Murray, it looks like the new privacy law is more of a symbolic reassurance than any kind of iron curtain around the personal information in government data bases.
For the rest of the article click link: B.C.'s privacy law is no iron curtain